Chased by an Angel
by human28
Summary: Alec leaves Seattle after his encounter with Berrisford, after all of his nightmares resurface. To everyone’s surprise, Max wasted no time in following him. MA.


Spoilers: Takes place after the "Berrisford" episode.

Summary: Alec leaves Seattle after his encounter with Berrisford, after all of his nightmares resurface. To everyone's surprise, Max wasted no time in following him. M/A.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

**_Chased by an Angel _**

_By: human28 _

…

_Sometimes, you have to run away just to see _

_who cares enough to follow you…_

…

_YOU ARE NOW LEAVING SEATTLE_

He sped past the sign with a ghost of a smile. Seattle had been his home. But it held too many painful memories. And those memories burned him. His nightmares were composed of two names…two faces…and they were two of his ghosts…

Rachel.

Max.

He hated leaving, but he knew he had to. He had to find a place where he could start over. Start a new life where no one knew who he was – what he was. He knew that his past would always come back to haunt him. But till then, he could recuperate. He still had a lot of wounds that refused to heal. His brief encounter with Berrisford had opened those wounds and set them bleeding again.

The soldier in him may refuse to admit it, but it hurt.

Maybe he'd go back one day.

Because right now, he still had a battle with his inner demons. A battle that the human side of him was losing.

…

"Hey Alec, you jackass, it's time to get up!" Max yelled as she sauntered into his apartment. It was already nearing midnight, and they still had a heist to pull. Alright, so _she _had a heist to pull. But Logan insisted that Alec tag along with her for "back-up". She was a genetically-engineered supersoldier for crying out loud. She didn't need no back-up. But as usual, she had acquiesced to Logan's demand.

Main reason on why she had bounded into Alec's apartment in the middle of the night. It was strangely quiet for Max's liking, and she astonished to find the apartment strangely – neat. The magazines that usually littered the coffee table were not there, and the bags of chips and cans of beer that she would usually find on the kitchen countertop were missing.

But a bottle of Scotch lay empty on the dining table.

A chill ran down Max's spine as a thought occurred to her. It had only been a few days since the Berrisford incident…what if he did something to hurt himself? Ice gripped her heart as she darted into the bathroom. She was alarmed to see the broken mirror. Shards of glass littered the sink, and a few droplets of blood adorned them. It was apparent that he had punched the mirror, causing it to shatter.

And Max could only think of one reason…Rachel.

Blindly, she stumbled into the bedroom. It was empty. The bed was made, but his closet doors were wide open, and they creaked lightly against the cool breeze that filtered from the half-open window.

Her blood drained from her face when she saw that his closet was empty save for a few jeans and shirts here and there.

He was gone.

…

What do you mean he's gone? Logan asked from the other end of the phone line. Max struggled to hear him through the purr of her motorcycle's engine and the thoughts that crowded her mind making it almost impossible for her to concentrate. She had left the apartment in a cloud of confusion and anger. After giving Original Cindy a brief phone call of her whereabouts, and what she was planning to do, she had called Logan.

"He left, probably just this evening." Max said. "He was at Jam Pony earlier today."

Damn. So are you sure you can do the heist alone Max?

A surge of anger flooded her. Did Logan really think that she would go through with the heist just after finding out that one of the people she cared most about had just disappeared? To hell with him. "I won't be doing the heist. I'm going to go look for Alec."

What!

"You heard me, I'm going to look for Alec and I'm going to drag his ass back home. Call me if you can get his location." Max didn't wait for Logan's reply. She switched off her cellphone and slipped it into her pocket.

As she sped through the empty streets of Seattle, she couldn't help but feel hurt about Alec's sudden departure. She knew that he was still dealing with painful memories, and she knew that he needed some space to breath – to forget. But to leave without saying goodbye? Max knew that she was nothing but a bitch to Alec, but deep down, she really cared about him…although hell would freeze over before she'd ever admit that to him.

Alec understood her in a way that Logan never did. He knew what it was like to live in a world that wanted them dead. He knew how it felt to be drowned in nightmares…to be haunted by ghosts of the past…to be punished and tortured…to be hunted for the mere fact that they existed.

Sure, Alec can be pretty hard to unmask sometimes. He always portrays that happy-go-lucky façade. But Max knew that beneath his cocky exterior was a tormented soul.

She remembered what Joshua said to her a few days ago…

"_Alec only outsmarts Alec. He doesn't know himself…Outside, lots of pretty colors. Tricks and treats. Inside, darkness. Confusion. Alec."_

"Alec, where the hell are you?" She whispered softly, half-hoping that the wind would carry her silent plea.

…

His motorcycle skidded to a stop in front of a club that was filled to the brim with people. Normally, he would've gone somewhere else a lot less crowded than this one, but he needed a drink. Badly.

Yet another memory had scorched him on his drive.

She had called his name.

He shook his head. It was almost as if she was right there behind him…her motorcycle running with the same speed and momentum…her pulse thudding like his…

It wasn't the 'hearing voices' part that alarmed him, it was the fact that he had desperately wanted her to be there. That was just wrong. He had escaped from Seattle to stay away from her – to stay away from the harsh reality that she could never be his.

Yep, he needed a drink. Badly.

More than a few pairs of female eyes appreciatively followed his entrance, but for the first time in his whole 'life', he paid no attention to them. He made a beeline for the bar and quickly signaled the barkeep for a glass of Scotch. He knew it was weak, drinking until he got that slight buzz in his head…until he forgot about everything. Transgenics might not get drunk, but they do get tipsy. After more than a few bottles of course.

Alec didn't care how many it took.

Just as long as it erased that faint tinge of hope that a certain fiery brunette had followed him.

…

Max didn't know how it happened. But there it was. His motorcycle. She had to blink her eyes several times to make sure that what she was seeing wasn't simply a figment of her imagination. She closed her eyes and prayed silently that she had, truly, found Alec. When she opened her eyes, the bike was still there.

She had no idea how it all happened. Transgenics, most specifically, the X5s were trained to cover their tracks well. And it merely took her a few hours to find him. She smiled wryly. What better way to catch a transgenic than with another transgenic? But she knew it wasn't her training that allowed her to find him so quickly.

Inner instinct brought her here.

His green motorcycle was parked outside a nightclub that echoed with laughter and loud music. It vaguely reminded her of Crash. She smiled faintly.

She hopped off her bike and headed into the bar. Hip hop music flooded through the club, and the strong scent of alcohol filled the air. She had to push her way through the sea of moving bodies in order to get to the bar, where she knew he would be. Her eyes caught sight of mop of tousled dark blonde hair, a leather-clad back, and an all too familiar posture.

She stopped dead in her tracks as a wave of emotions practically drowned her. Relief, hurt, anger…and some complex emotion that was entirely too difficult too describe…an emotion that pushed her on an edge.

Half of her wanted to blur towards him and hug him.

While another part of her just wanted to kick his ass right then and there.

And Max, being Max, chose the latter.

…

"_Behind every bitch is a cut that makes her that way…"_

Alec silently nursed his glass of Scotch. The familiar presence of Max still hung around him – haunting him…her ghost was like a bullet to the chest….a bullet with no exit wound. It burned him within and refused to leave, making him bleed and bleed.

He buried his head in his hands and groaned.

That was when the back of his neck started to tingle. He sat upright. He could feel someone's gaze on him. He stiffened, as all sorts of conclusions jumped into his head…White, the police, Berrisford…the last one made him spin around to look. And he then received the biggest shock of his life.

There she was. And Alec was certain that this time, she was no ghost. Standing in the middle of the crowd, she looked like an angel. A dark angel, dressed in nothing but black, chocolate brown eyes burning like charcoal. He had never seen her look so beautiful. He downed the rest of his Scotch, knowing that he was going to need it for the fire he was about to face.

And just as expected, she stormed towards him like a black thundercloud. The crowd immediately parted like the Red Sea, and more than a few curious eyes followed the crossing of the livid woman.

The usual 'hey Maxie' died on his lips as he saw the hurt and anger swimming in her eyes, and all that escaped him was an inaudible whisper. "Max."

The next thing he knew, Max's fist had connected with his face, sending his head spinning. Stars clouded his vision, and as he struggled to remain focused, realization dawned on him. Max was here. She hadn't rejoiced on his departure as he had expected, instead, she had gone all the way from Seattle to look for him.

What the hell did that mean?

She pulled back her fist for another hit, but this time, Alec was ready for it. He caught right before it came in contact with his nose. He gingerly touched the side of his face. _Damn, that hurt. Max sure knows how to pack a punch. _Not to mention the fact that it was fueled to the brim with anger. And why was she angry? Alec had yet to find out.

Releasing her fist, he stared her straight in the eye, but not before slipping on his infamous mask of indifference. "What the hell is wrong with you Max?" he hissed.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she yelled heatedly. "What the hell is wrong with _you? _You _left _Seattle, Alec. You left, and you didn't even say good-bye. How could you do that to us? To Joshua? To _me? _I thought we were a family…"

"A family?" Alec laughed bitterly. "I'm not Ben, Max. I'm not your family. Never was. Never will be."

"Yes you are," she hissed back. "Ben's gone, you're not Ben…you're Alec."

"Then why the hell do you act as if you wished I never existed? Why the hell do you bitch around and remind me of the day I screwed up your life? I'm tired of it, Max. Just plain tired of it. And that's just one of the reasons on why I left." Alec's mask dropped a fraction, betraying the hurt and rejection reflected on his hazel-green eyes.

"You're right Alec, I am a bitch to you, but that's just because I care about you," her eyes softened a notch. She looked away. "I've lost already so many people, Alec. Tinga, Ben…I'm poison…I destroy everyone I love…sometimes, the reason on why I am a bitch is because of the fact that I'm scared of losing anyone else…" She met his gaze, and Alec was floored by the emotion he saw there. "Why the hell do you think I followed you all the way out here?"

Unshed tears welled in her eyes, and Alec's indifferent façade fell almost instantly. Unable to take it anymore, he pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her.

And that was when she broke down completely.

"You're never gonna lose me Max," he whispered in her ear. _I love you too damned much to go and get myself killed…although if it came to that…I would die for you. _

"Come home with me Alec."

He smiled softly. "Anything for you Maxie."

_The End_

A/N: I know, I know, a bit on the mushy side…but I couldn't help it! Lol! Tell me what you think and review!


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